Applied Optoelectronics initiated with a Buy at Rosenblatt

Rosenblatt initiated coverage of Applied Optoelectronics with a Buy rating and $23 price target. Revenues were “fairly flat” from 2020 to 2023, but sales are “poised to explode to the upside” starting mid-2024, driven by AI 400+G Optical interconnects for Data Centers and DOCSIS 4.0 amplifiers for Cable networks, the analyst tells investors. The AI 800+G Optical transceiver market is forecast to be $7.5B in 2025 and the total high-speed Datacom transceiver market could be worth about $12B and given the firm’s view that Applied could potentially capture 10%-plus share of the total, the analyst says the firm’s $485M revenue forecast for 2025 “may be conservative.”